Iran nuclear talks falter as July 20 deadline nears

Associated Press

Published 7:37 pm, Sunday, July 13, 2014

Photo: Jim Bourg, AFP/Getty Images

Image 1of/3

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 3

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) during talks between the foreign ministers of the six powers negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear program, in Vienna, on July 13, 2014. Big difference remained in nuclear talks between world powers and Iran on Sunday with fears that an agreement may not be reached before the deadline next week. AFP PHOTO / POOL/ JIM BOURGJIM BOURG/AFP/Getty Images less

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) meets with US Secretary of State John Kerry (R) during talks between the foreign ministers of the six powers negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear program, in ... more

Photo: Jim Bourg, AFP/Getty Images

Image 2 of 3

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, left, meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at talks between the foreign ministers of the six powers negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear program in Vienna, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Discussions center on imposing long-term restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment and against plutonium production ? materials usable in nuclear warheads. In exchange, the U.S. and other powers would scrap a series of trade and oil sanctions against Tehran. (AP Photo/Jim Bourg, Pool) less

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, left, meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at talks between the foreign ministers of the six powers negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear program in Vienna, ... more

Photo: Jim Bourg, Associated Press

Image 3 of 3

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier talk as they walk though the Coburg Hotel to a press conference, after talks between the foreign ministers of the six powers negotiating with Tehran on its nuclear program, in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, July 13, 2014. Discussions center on imposing long-term restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment and against plutonium production ? materials usable in nuclear warheads. In exchange, the U.S. and other powers would scrap a series of trade and oil sanctions against Tehran. (AP Photo/Jim Bourg, Pool) less

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier talk as they walk though the Coburg Hotel to a press conference, after talks between the foreign ministers of the six ... more

Photo: Jim Bourg, Associated Press

Iran nuclear talks falter as July 20 deadline nears

1 / 3

Back to Gallery

Vienna --

Joint efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and three other Western foreign ministers failed Sunday to advance faltering nuclear talks with Iran, with the target date for a deal only a week away.

"There has been no breakthrough today," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague after meetings with Kerry and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Iran.

Tehran says it needs to expand enrichment to make reactor fuel, but the U.S. fears that Tehran could steer the activity toward manufacturing the core of nuclear missiles. The U.S. wants deep enrichment cuts.

LATEST NEWS VIDEOS

Newly Found, Smiley-Faced Spider Species Named After Bernie SandersGeoBeats

Barack Obama Likens Dropping Daughter Off At College To ‘Open Heart Surgery’GeoBeats

Fire retardant is dropped on Oakland hills grass firesfgate

President Trump: 'I Grew Up in New York, I know Many Puerto Ricans'Buzz60

Firefighters battle an Oakland Hills fire from the airsfgate

Fire trucks arrive on scene of Oakland hills firesfgate

Fire burns in Oakland hillssfgate

"There is a huge gap" over enrichment, Hague said, in comments echoed by the other foreign ministers.

The dispute and other differences strongly indicated that six world powers and Tehran will need to continue negotiations until July 20 and could decide to extend their talks past that informal deadline for a deal.

Such an agreement would buy time to negotiate a pact limiting the scope of such programs in exchange for a full end to nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.

"Obviously we have some very significant gaps still, so we need to see if we can make some progress," Kerry told reporters before a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who is convening the talks.

Lower-ranking officials represented both Russia and China, possibly reflecting those nations' view even before Sunday that talks past July 20 are unavoidable.

Iranian hard-liners oppose almost any concession by moderate President Hassan Rouhani's government. In the U.S., Republicans and Democrats have threatened to scuttle any emerging agreement because it would allow Iran to maintain some enrichment capacity.

Outside the negotiation, regional rivals of Iran, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, are extremely skeptical of any arrangement that they feel would allow the Islamic republic to escape international pressure while moving closer to the nuclear club.

An interim deal in January effectively froze Iran's program, with world powers providing sanctions relief to Tehran of about $7 billion. The two sides also agreed to a six-month extension past July 20 for negotiations to reach a comprehensive deal if necessary.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.